Trolling motor recomendations

[chargedgn]

HI,
I have a Bayliner 215 (21') open bow boat that I like to fish the lake shore lines off of(not the ideal fishing boat). Its a pain to keep starting the motor everytime the boat drifts too close to the shore or have to throw out the anchor.

Looking to see if a 12V 55lb thrust will be enough to move the boat from drifting too close to the shore line? That would be the main use for the most part.

Do not want to drill holes in the bow of my boat, so I have a fiberglass swim deck off the back that I would mount it to using a transome mount? or one that has a reversable head? I like to fish off the back of the boat anyway so that's where I want it.

I have no experience with trolling motors so any imput on size, and what all is needed to purchase is welcome:facepalm:

 

[kahuna123]

Re: Trolling motor recomendations

The only difference in a bow mount and transom is the head is reversed. On the MinnKota it is a matter of one screw. I owned a trolling motor shop and was a warranty repair shop for Motorguide and MinnKota. I had the shop about a year when Motorguide was bought by Brunswick. They revoked my warranty repair status along with everyone else in Florida with the exception of one large shop in Lakeland FL. I walked into their booth at a large boat show and the factory rep would not speak to me. Looked right at me when I introduced myself and walked away. And at them time that shop was NOT very popular for their customer service. They were having serious problems with the variable speed circuits and in my opinion wanted to keep it quite. They went through 3 revisions in one year. I always found the MinnKota people very easy to deal with. In fact at the time they had just starting marketing the salt water series and two of them made a trip down for two days. Unless you play in salt water you have no idea how hard it is on equipment.

Things could have changed as a said it has been a long time. But I can tell you that MinnKota was very fair with me and there are many repair facilities around.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Trolling motor recomendations

On a 21 foot and relatively heavy boat you are going to need more than a 55# motor. Anything larger than that puts you into 24 volt territory. While you may not want to drill holes in the boat, you will need even more power if you want a stern mount motor vs a bow mount. A bow mount provides much better boat control and the various wireless and wired models allow operation from anywhere in the boat. If you routinely operate where wind is a problem, then a bow mount is almost essential.